Thai-spiced Scotch eggs

Ingredients

These are not as time-consuming to make as you might imagine and
are infinitely more enjoyable for being homemade. Scotch eggs are
the perfect picnic snack or packed lunch.

Quail's eggs could also be used if you wanted to create
bite-sized canapés; just remember to reduce the quantities of
casing (by about a third) and the cooking time for the eggs.

4 eggs

At least 1.5 litres sunflower oil,for frying

FOR THE PORK CASING:

400g minced pork or sausage meat

1-2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, finely
chopped

4 lime leaves, finely chopped

1 small clove garlic, crushed to

a paste with a pinch of salt

1 hot red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

2 tbsp soy sauce

Small bunch of coriander, finely chopped

1 tsp brown sugar or palm sugar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE CRUMBLED CASING:

40g plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten

Splash of milk

50g Panko breadcrumbs

Method

Put the eggs in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the
boil then turn down the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Refresh under
cold water until cool enough to handle, then peel while still warm.
Set aside.

Put all the ingredients for the pork casing into a large bowl
and mix well with your hands. If you want to test or alter the
seasonings at this stage, you can fry a teaspoonful of the mixture
in a hot pan and then taste and adjust accordingly. Remember that
the flavour will not be as strong when the mixture is cold.

TO COVER THE EGGS:

Take three shallow bowls and put the seasoned flour into one,
the beaten egg mixed with milk in another and the breadcrumbs in a
third. Next to the bowl of flour, put your cooked eggs.

Lay a sheet of baking parchment or cling film on top of a clean
work surface and put the pork mixture onto it.

Lay another sheet over the top and gently press to make a thin,
flat disk. Peel off the top layer of paper.

Dip each cooked egg in flour and dust off any excess. Lay the
eggs on the meat in an evenly spaced line and lift the bottom layer
of paper to wrap the mixture over the top of the eggs, then peel
the paper back to reveal the covered eggs.

Cut the meat into four (being careful not to slice through your
egg). Dust your hands with flour and press the meat covered egg
between your palms and form a round shape.

Lightly dust a covered egg with seasoned flour, then dip it
into the beaten egg and finally coat in breadcrumbs.

Choose a pan that is deep enough for the eggs to be covered in
the oil - I sometimes use a smaller pan and cook them one at a
time, which requires less oil. Alternatively choose a larger pan
and double the amount of oil - you may need up to 1.5 litres. (Any
excess oil can be reused.)

Heat the oil until it reaches 170°C/340°F. If you don't have a
thermometer, you can test the temperature but dropping in a scrap
of bread; it should sizzle and turn golden immediately.

From Egg - the very best recipes inspired by
the simple egg by Blanche Vaughan (Weidenfeld &
Nicolson; hardback at £22, eBook £12.99). Photograph
by Paul Winch-Furness.